You can send “InMail” directly to them without going through your other connections.

You can turn this off in the ‘settings’ link that will appear in the “Your Groups” block on the home page.

Unfortunately no one outside the group will see the PLUG logo. This is because LinkedIn wants lots of money for that ‘feature,’ and PLUG is broke. If you are a LinkedIn fan and want to pay the fee to get this set up, let us know.